Design and construction (continued)

On the top of the Diamond there is only the power key, which is also used for toggling the standby mode.

The power key is all alone at the top

The right side of the handset features the loudspeaker grill and no controls whatsoever. A dedicated shutter key would've been welcome. Instead, the HTC R&D team chose to go with the on-screen virtual shutter key that took quite some criticism on the Apple iPhone - go figure!

The loudspeaker is on the right but no camera key yet again

On the left side of the Diamond2 we find the volume rocker, which is long enough but a bit to slim for our taste. Still it renders no obstacles to usability.

The volume rocker is a long and narrow control

The bottom features the miniUSB port for connecting the data cable, charger and the headphones. The other thing to note here is the stylus compartment, which unfortunately isn't magnetic this time.

The stylus of the Diamond2 however is still active so it will wake the phone up automatically when pulled out. And if you do so during a call it will launch the Notes applications, so you can quickly put down a phone number for example.

The microUSB port at the bottom • the stylus compartment isn't magnetic

The backside of the Diamond2, as we mentioned, is a lot plainer than the original Diamond. Considering that WinMo-fans are mostly into functionality, sacrificing some of the appeal in favor of practicality may be considered a good trade.

The even surface at least eliminates the risk of getting prematurely worn out as was the case with the first Diamond. The edges that stuck out were way more vulnerable than the rest of the rear getting worn and battered quickly, which had a devastating effect on the looks of the handset.

It's pretty plain at the back this time

The only thing to see at the back of the Diamond2 is the 5 megapixel camera lens. There is no flash whatsoever, so low-light shooting with this handset is pretty much out of the question.

Opening the battery cover reveals the upgraded 1100 mAh Li-ion battery that powers the HTC Touch Diamond2. 200 mAh more capacity has are supposed to cover the larger and higher-res screen but as one might imagine it hardly does wonders.

It managed about 15 minutes of telephony, an hour of using the other phones features plus three days on standby, which is passable. When put under heavy pressure it can last for a day tops, but considering how things go with recent phones, that's perhaps OK.

We are wondering if HTC will release an extended battery pack for the Diamond2, like they did for the original featuring the far more reasonable 1350 mAh. Some users were gladly accepting the added thickness and weight back then and the case might not be too different here.

The other thing of interest under the hood is the microSD card slot, which is at the right hand side of the handset next to the stylus. While you will need to remove the cover every time you change the card, the hot-swap support is all there.

The microSD slot lays under the battery cover

At least at first sight the build quality of the HTC Touch Diamond2 is better than that of the original Diamond. But then, beating the first Diamond in terms of sturdiness is no great feat. We do hope however that all the wear and tear issues we've seen on the front panel are now solved and the Diamond2 adopters will be able to enjoy its looks for a long time.